I don’t prefer ordering Chinese food out because most of Chinese-American restaurants serve very greasy and salty as well as often gooey dishes – and yet I seem to consume more than I should.

One of those days while craving for Chinese food, I saw a good deal on cashews in my local CVS. I was destined to make “Cashew Chicken” – a popular dish at any takeout Chinese restaurants in the United States.

Cut one pound chicken into 1 inch bite size pieces or according to your preference.

Chicken for cashew chicken

Tender Chicken Breast

I was often surprised by tenderness of meat in Chinese chicken dish made from chicken breast. Those small pieces of chicken breast are very tender. If you have ever cooked “healthy” low fat chicken breast in any dish, you must have notice how fast it changes to chewy and tough.

To make chicken breasts tender, I used a traditional Chinese cooking technique used by Chinese cooks. Soak chicken in “baking soda”. Baking soda tenderizes the meat and also gets rid of any potential foul smell. ( If meat is smelly, you shouldn’t be probably eating it.)

Baking soda acts like any tenderizer by denaturing proteins in meat. However, the rate of penetration of denaturing agent (here baking soda) inside meat is usually slow. Thus, only small pieces of meat can be tenderized well.

Chicken breasts are supposed to looks silky when tenderized. I couldn’t visually tell much difference but I could feel the texture was changed.

Baking soda to tenderize chicken breast meat

Marinate the cut pieces of chicken meat in 2 teaspoons of baking soda for 15 minutes. After marinating “ Rinse Thoroughly”. Remember to rinse thoroughly. If you don’t have baking powder, you can use the double the amount of baking soda.

Marinate 15 minutes in baking soda to get tender meat

Marinate chicken with potato starch (or corn starch) and rice wine for 15 more minutes. Don’t wash off this marinade.

Potato starch and rice wine marinade

Cut 2 large bell peppers and half of large onion into 1 inch pieces or according to your preference.

Bell peppers for cashew chicken

Do you need wok to make Chinese food?Instead of stir frying in a over highly heated wok, I used my Kirkland ceramic casted dutch oven from Costco. Any pot that can hold the food should work, if you don’t have wok.

In a small saucepan heat 1 teaspoon oil for half a minute in medium heat. Add 1 cup cashew and sauté until some parts are lightly toasted.

Cashews for cashew chicken

In a large work or any other pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil for half a minute on high. Cook chicken until half done. Remove and set aside.

Half cooked chicken breast

Add another 1 tablespoon oil and sauté bell peppers and onions.

Saute bell peppers and onions

Lower heat to medium, add chicken and sauce. Cook for a few minute with occasional stirring. Add toasted cashew and cook for less than a minute with occasional stirring.

Cooked cashew chicken

Your own homemade cashew chicken is ready. Eat with rice or by itself.